Students Begin Work on Clinton Global Initiative Projects

Widener recently became the first university in the region to join the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI University) Network. This consortium, founded by former President Bill Clinton, provides support and
funding to students who are committed to developing solutions for some of the world’s
most pressing challenges.

Widener students were invited to develop a plan that addresses an issue at Widener,
the community, or around the world and relates to one of five focus areas: education,
environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, or public
health.

This past spring, a committee led by Dr. Suk -Chung Yoon, associate provost for experiential
learning and global engagement, chose five projects to receive funding for the 2013-2014
year. Widener will provide a minimum of $10,000 from an endowment fund to be divided
among the students selected to pursue their "Commitments to Action."

The university will also mentor the student "commitment-makers" as they implement
their plans. Each project has a faculty sponsor.

As of July 1, five Widener students have received funding for their projects:

Nicole Gilette, '16, biology major, will study the effects of herbicides on aquatic
ecosystems with partners at the Department of Experimental Biology at the University
of Buenos Aires in Argentina. (Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Itzick Vatnick).

Karley Riffe, a graduate student in the doctoral program in Higher Education Leadership,
will assist Dr. Meghan Pifer in conducting an extensive content analysis of the scholarly literature
about the professional and personal experiences of female faculty members in higher
education.

As a member of the CGI, Widener is committed to an evaluation each year to ensure
it is constantly moving in a direction to pursue global engagement. The university
is also committed to annually nominating students to attend CGI University, which
is a way for students to showcase their research.